Tuesday, November 30, 2010

I am thinking that you probably didn't have one button left anywhere on your clothes after Sacrament Mtg on Sunday!! I'm soo proud of that cute, CUTE Josh...and I'm pretty sure you are sooooo feeling the same!! I just HAD to tell you what an amazing job he did!! Sooo humble...and the spirit was soooo strong! This is "true" joy!!xoxoxSeriously, how did you let him go to Africa?? I thought Peru was off the planet, but seriously!! Africa!!! But he came home...and so did you!! Prayers are truly answered!!________________________________________Love me some Helen Atkin....my reponse:

I LOVE YOU. Yes, I can't even try to be modest. This boy ROCKS our world, our life, our love. DANG PROUD of him!!! Such goodness....THANK YOU for mentioning it...it means a lot that someone else thinks so too.

Josh, Greg, Mike and Chad...all over 21 years old....had their sweet reunion after 2 years, and the next thing I know they are in the basement building a "fort" like when they were 10 years old....feeling disgruntled that I didn't have TWINE and only PINK YARN for a fastening tool......they built it, laughed, left, --then Spencer and friends came and invaded for the pictures.....boys will be boys. Makes me smile.

With all these MEN FOLK around my house, I generally try to buy all the SAME kind of socks...all the same brand BLACK, all the same brand ankle, all the same brand low cut, all the same brand mid calf....so while pairing the socks this morning, there are 7...yes SEVEN brands that are NOT ours, that do NOT have a match. Think I need to hold a community meeting and get ALL us moms buying the SAME brands so that when our children's socks are left at each others homes they match and we come out about even.....this is pure testimony to the number of men friends that visit our home....and take their socks off. And just so you know...I DON'T have the no shoes in the house rule:)

I'd been consistently weepy just thinking about FINALLY getting to see him for about a week before we left...when we took off from Amsterdam I just LOST it...I KNEW that it was going to happen. MY JOSH was just 9 hours away. I was grateful that everyone around me was mostly sleeping. Spencer kept giving me the best "side" hugs he could from the plane seat next to me. We get off the plane in Nairobi and we had to go through customs. I thought I would explode. Don and Spencer let me go through first. As I ran to go down the stairs to the luggage area I realized we would have to get the luggage FIRST before going "OUT"---I thought they were killing me...and then I saw him behind the glass enclosures. My sobs must have portrayed all that my heart felt because the guard closest to me came over and said "go to the entry and you can see your loved one, I will watch and let you re-enter". AN ANGEL I TELL YOU!!! AN ANGEL!!! He came out of the crowd to me and I couldn't talk for sobbing. He is so skinny. SO BEAUTIFUL!!! I guess in African culture you would NEVER display those kinds of emotion in public. Too bad they will never know that generally you don't in America either...they just got a "special" one. I am so glad he loves me and just let me hold him. They made Don and Spencer wait until all the luggage was gathered. His mission president and wife- THE BROADBENTS (they are from Odgen and AMAZING people) had brought him and took the pictures. THANK YOU. At this moment, ALL WAS WELL IN MY WORLD!

Josh speaks in church today. We have so many friends coming to visit and eat. I am excited. I am trying to shake it off. Not such a good shaker offer when it comes to my kids. Have I told you lately HOW MUCH I LOVE MY KIDS???? Well, I do.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

While I was in Africa, some CREEP took $1400 out of my personal account using my Debit card...still a mystery how they got my number. But I LOVE YOU UCCU for taking care of me and helping me to get it back into my account...I hope it comes SOON! Not so crazy about my Debit card anymore though.....Spent all yesterday in Logan with Don and Josh getting Josh his apartment, his scholarship instated, and all set up for Winter semester. He is SO HAPPY to be rooming with Greg. I can't help but wish he had stayed closer to home. But men need to be men. And I need to adjust better.It was SO GOOD to be with Preston and Jeremy and their families. I LOVE that they belong to me, and that I belong to THEM!!!We had white outs in Sardine Canyon on the way there, and you know me...I don't want to leave the house EVER in snow....so so so so glad to be home in my safe and warm office :)

Saturday, November 20, 2010

This was either in Salt Lake or Minneapolis....but you can see were are bright eyed and excited to be getting closer to seeing JOSH!!!!!!This is like 17 hours later or maybe more (still had 10 + hours to go) ...in Amsterdam...lets just say I was SO TIRED I didn't even TASTE the oh so cool hot chocolate on a cubed stick that you stir into the hot milk...just could NOT keep my eyes open! I was also FREEZING so sweet sweet Spencer gave me his hoodie. Love my boys!!!And then on the way home we were in Amsterdam so early their time this shop was closed so I still missed the whole experience. Don and Spencer vouch for its yumminess.

My jet lag has me officially tagged as an OLD OLD woman. I awoke last night at 2 am and could not go to sleep so I was up for the day. I thought I would fall down in Walmart. I got dinner ready at 4:30 and said to the kids...I MUST lay down...don't let me sleep past 20 or 45 minutes. I was hoping to be able to make it until 9 or 10pm. But it was Friday night so everyone left. And now it will be another LONG day.....(morning). If you are wondering why I haven't posted Africa pics yet, its because I don't have all of them downloaded...hey, maybe I can do THAT in these wee hours...

I LOVED them all!!! It was humbling to be reading on the bus ride from Nairobi to Arusha (6 hours)...and passing such poverty and hard physical labor to be seen all around. The women carrying so MUCH WEIGHT on there heads and backs. Dirt, dirt and more dirt to be cleaned. Garbage everywhere. No fast fcod...every meal a production starting with killing the chicken. It gave me great pause as to the blessing all of our modern conveniences are. Conveniences that allow ME to have the TIME to read. What a miracle it is that we have captured shared labor in this country.

Kate Morton is a new FAVORITE of mine...I had just finished THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN before leaving...it is on my ALL TIME FAVORITE, TOP TEN list..later I will blog some blurbs and quotes from it. Kate's HOUSE AT RIVERTON kept my heart and mind delighted for many hours of the 28 hour traveling time there. I write "Kate" because I feel like she is a new best friend. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way she pricks your brain to the issues of suppressed women. Her latest book , THE DISTANT HOURS came out while I was gone, so I am off to Barnes and Noble today. THESE IS MY WORDS....lets just say at first I was put off by all the seemingly TOO incredible and plenty horrific events that were taking place in Sarah's life, but those feelings left pretty quickly...and women...Nancy Turner TOTALLY has it down as to HOW a woman wants to be LOVED by her man. FLIPPED was light and cute, but I could have passed, but was dang grateful to have it on the flight. And Deepak...what can I say? I LOVE THAT GUY...now if I can just LIVE it!!!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

So i dont know if mom and dad will be checking their e-mail before they leave for the airport, but i thought i would write just in-case. This week was great though. the kilungu hills were awesome. I have always said i liked the rural places better than the city and this week just reaffirmed it. we would hike through the hills about two to two and a half hours just to get to the area and then it would be about an hour hike between appointments and then the two to two and a half hour hike back. i think i got shin splints from it, but it was still worth it. one of the days we just went and helped a guy in his "garden" (it is in quotations because of how big the garden is, but it is too small to call it a farm, but all of it is worked over by hand so it is quite the project) the whole day. we spent the whole time just manually tilling the ground so that they could plant it the next day. it was a pretty physically intense week, but it was one of my favorite weeks of my mission.Today we are just organizing for transfers and trying to get everything done that we would normally have done throughout the week. it will be a busy day, but not necessarily anything super fun to tell you about, just office work.I love you all sooooooooooo much. i cant believe i will be seeing some of you tomorrow and the rest in about a week. its crazy, absolutely crazy. i really dont think i believe it still. anyways, have an amazing week and i will see you all soon!!!!!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Listen... did you hear anything? You don't have to because there is no keyboard noise...okay, maybe a grateful sob...NO MORE POSTS TO ELDER JOSHUA DAVID HARRIS....just person to person, MOM TO SON communication.... I'll post as I can.

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Lindon

Some favorite quotes as of late

My GOD is in the next room, cooking unseen feasts and humming.

T I I S G Turn it into something Good.

I devote the rest of my days to acts of loving kindness. I help those whom God has placed in my path. I will be as loving as I can, as often as I can, for as many people as I can, for as long as I live. Here if you need me. (Kate Braestrup)

Instead of FEAR, I feel INSPIRED. Instead of overwhelmed, I feel the excitement of the possibilities.

I learn ways to replace FEAR with LOVE.

ASK FOR HELP. Follow the guidance sent to you.

DO NOT COMPLAIN...if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem. (a mom I bet)

We become what we love...so nothing will affect your life more than whom and what you choose to love. Matthew Kelly

BE the CHANGE you want to see. Ghandi

About Me

I wish someone else would fill this out...I'd love to see what others see when it comes to me(ok, maybe not). I LOVE my family, I love being home. I love to cook, garden, read, run, do family history, study, eat, quilt, play the piano, plan and have parties with friends, being warm-- the sun on my skin, my hands/body in hot water. I love the change of seasons, tulips in the Spring, annuals in the summer, pumpkins in the fall and soup & fresh bread from the oven in the winter.I LOVE my life. I LOVE babies and children and teenagers and adults. I love people. And if you're reading this, I'd bet that I LOVE YOU!!!!!